Arteta gets Arsenal green light to sign 79-goal Chelsea striker target with star’s club ‘now ready to sell’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could launch a fresh move for Dusan Vlahovic
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is reportedly planning a fresh move to sign Dusan Vlahovic in January amid claims Juventus are ready to listen to offers for the 23-year-old forward.
The Gunners are once again expected to be in Premier League title contention this season, having been narrowly pipped to the punch by Manchester City last season. And while Pep Guardiola’s relentless side are gunning for a sixth title in seven seasons, Arsenal are hot on their heels once again and have already shown their intentions by recording a 1-0 win over the Cityzens.
However, despite spending some £200m-plus on squad strengthening over the summer, there is a feeling among some observers that the Gunners squad is still lacking in key areas.
To that end, they are reportedly in the market for a new midfield partner for club-record signing Declain Rice and amid rising claims that Thomas Partey could be allowed to move on and has held talks over a move to Italy.
There is also a growing belief that Arteta also needs to strengthen his attacking options if the Gunners are to end a 20-year wait for Premier League glory.
Arsenal currently have Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus to call upon to play up front, though neither are considered reliable, 20-goal a season men.
As it stands so far, Jesus has just one goal to his name from seven appearances, while Nketiah has five goals so far from 12 outings.
To alleviate the problem, Arsenal great Sol Campbell recently urged the club to spend big on a new striker in January, having tipped up moves for either Victor Osimhen or Ivan Toney.
READ MORE ~ Best Premier League finishers based on xG: Surprise Arsenal man is seventh on the list
Arsenal told Dusan Vlahovic can finally make the move
However, any deal for Osimhen is likely to cost well in excess of £100m – and that is simply a price currently beyond Arsenal’s reach.
They do, however, have a very strong interest in Toney too, and as we exclusively revealed, Arteta is pushing Arsenal hard to get a deal done for the £80m striker.
Reports on Friday, though, revealed a new twist in the saga by stating Toney is ready to stay loyal to Brentford and could even commit to a new deal as he steps up his return from a lengthy suspension.
Were that to happen, Arsenal’s prospects of prising the player across London would be seriously hampered and leave Arteta searching around for a potential Plan B.
Now reports in Italy claim the Gunners boss is ready to switch his attention back towards Vlahovic.
The Serbia striker was the subject of a big-money approach from Arsenal back in January 2022 when he was leaving Fiorentina.
Ultimately, however, Vlahovic opted for a move across Italy to Juventus, where he has since scored 27 times in 73 appearances for the club.
The Bianconeri, though, are disappointed by that return and reports state they are ‘ready to sell’ in January if the right offer comes along.
And according to TuteJuve, an offer in the region of €60m (£52m) would convince them to sell.
Juventus open to striker’s sale
Per the report, Massimiliano Allegri has made it clear he would not stand in the player’s way were such an offer to arrive.
And with the price falling within Arsenal’s price range, it’s reported a fresh move could be made and that he expects to quickly get the green light to seal the signing.
The 23-year-old has also been linked with Chelsea and Real Madrid, though it’s claimed neither would challenge Arsenal for the deal with Arteta being given a clear run at his signing.
Vlahovic has 79 goals across 203 career appearances to date and is contracted to Juventus until summer 2027.
